militarywikiaorg-20200222-history
139th (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) Brigade
The 139th (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army. The brigade was first raised as the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Brigade in 1908 when the Territorial Force was created and was assigned to the North Midland Division. In 1915 the brigade was numbered the 139th (1/1st Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) Brigade and the division became the 46th (North Midland) Division. The brigade saw service with the 46th Division throughout the Great War in the trenches of the Western Front from 1915 to 1918. Disbanded after the war in 1919, the brigade was reformed as the 139th Infantry Brigade in the Territorial Army and again assigned to the 46th (North Midland) Division. However, in 1936 the division was disbanded and its HQ were redesignated 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division. The 6th and 7th Sherwood Foresters were both transferred to the Royal Engineers and converted into searchlight and anti-aircraft battalions. The 5th and 8th Sherwood Foresters were both transferred to the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division and the 139th Infantry Brigade was disbanded. It was, however, reformed again when the Territorial Army was doubled in size in 1939 to meet the threat of Nazi Germany. The brigade was assigned to the 46th (West Riding and North Midland) Infantry Division, which was formed as a duplicate of the 49th Division. The brigade saw service with the 46th Division throughout the Second World War, which began in September 1939. Sent to France with the rest of the division in April 1940 to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), the brigade was both poorly equipped and trained and lacked any of their support units. The division was sent, along with the 12th and 23rd divisions, to complete their training and to help construct defences. As a result, the division was battered when facing the German Army's blitzkrieg during the Battle of France in May 1940 and was forced to retreat to Dunkirk had to be evacuated to England. After being evacuated, the brigade and division spent the next few years on home defence and training to repel an expected German invasion which never arrived. In late 1942 the 46th Division was sent to North Africa where it became part of British First Army and saw action in the final stages of the Tunisia Campaign. The division did not see service in Sicily but landed at Salerno in September 1943 as part of the US Fifth Army during the initial invasion of Italy. The brigade saw service in Italy until late 1944 Formation in World War I * 1/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters * 1/6th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters * 1/7th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters * 1/8th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters * 1/4th Battalion, Black Watch * 1/3rd Battalion, London Regiment * 139th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps * 139th Trench Mortar Battery Formation in World War II * 2/5th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment * 2/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters * 9th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters * 16th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry References Category:Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Category:Brigades of the British Army in World War II